When Emily was let go from her job of 18 months due to workforce reductions, she didn’t let it faze her. Instead, she found an associate position at her local Deseret Industries, where she is learning how she can better contribute to the workplace.

Emily is learning skills like punctuality, time management, efficiency, quality assurance, and goal setting. She recognizes that her professional development will also impact her personal growth.

“These skills are not only going to help me in future jobs but also with my education,” Emily says. “It’s going to help me with managing my work and setting better goals.”

For Emily, the DI job training program has reinforced the importance of goal setting.

“Working at DI has made it easy to see how small goals help me get to my big goals,” she says.

One of Emily’s short-term goals is to complete an associate degree with the end goal being to eventually have a career in forensic science. In the meantime, she is looking forward to utilizing DI’s job search workshops to improve her skills in resume building.

“I plan to use DI resources the best I can,” Emily says.

One of the resources Emily is particularly grateful for is her job coach—an operational supervisor whose purpose is to help associates in their professional development.

“My job coach is fantastic,” Emily says. “He is very supportive and understanding of the things that I struggle with. He’s proud of how I have worked on this team and how efficient I can be.”

Emily is also encouraged through her interactions with other associates.

“I love the people—they honestly just make my day,” Emily says. “I could come here not feeling great, and I’ll leave with a smile on my face. That’s what I want in a job: to be happy when I leave.”